Faulty Chinese Construction: Nepal initiated Demolition of the Kalanki-Koteshwar road section

The Nepalese government has initiated the demolition of the Kalanki-Koteshwar road section under the ring road, constructed with financial assistance from the Chinese government.

Four years after the completion of its construction, the basement has sustained damage and is now slated for demolition and rebuilding. As per the road department’s statement, the demolition of the road in the Kalanki-Balkhu section has already commenced following the “basement failure.

According to Narayan Prasad Nihure, who is the head of the road division office in Kathmandu, it has been informed that the black sheet used for the construction of the road is facing issues such as flowing, cracking and breaking. As a result of these problems, the road is going to be demolished and rebuilt.

As the Chinese government has already provided the necessary funds, the financing responsibility for the construction of the road will now be taken up by the Nepalese government, with support from the World Bank. The project aims to construct around one kilometer of road from Khasibazar to Balkhu with this assistance.

When the basement was damaged, it resulted in damage to the black sheet as well,” Nihure explained. “We are planning to address the various issues such as pressing, splitting, and cracking of the black sheet. Once we have resolved these issues, we will proceed with the installation of a new base to pitch again.”

According to him, there was a significant “base failure” in the previous blacktop, making an upgrade necessary. Following a thorough quality check of the road, the department has commenced designing the necessary improvements.

On December 18, 2012, the Government of Nepal and China’s Shanghai Construction Group Company Limited signed a road construction agreement. As per the terms of the agreement, China was responsible for extending an 8-lane, 10.4-kilometer road from Koteshwar to Kalanki over the course of five years. Despite the initial target completion date being set for early February 2019, the project experienced a two-year delay due to the earthquake and blockade.

On January 28, 2019, the then Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi, officially handed over the key of the road to former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during a program at the Khumaltar-based Office of National Trust for Nature Conservation.